*NOTE: Cinematic lovers and fans of The Horror Times, this review deals a few disgusting habits of the late 30s and early 40s mainly regarding race; however, the film is a horror-comedy spoof, that in life avoidance is never good sometimes you need to face disrespectful attitudes head on and note the era in which they existed. *
Before we get to the discussion of this 1940 film, one must revisit the original start of this incredible winding path of laughs and comedic genius. The lineage started in 1909 as a stage play written by Paul Dickey and Charles W. Goddard the rights were sold to producer Henry Harris, however due to his death aboard the RMS Titanic and survived by his wife Renee who survived the sinking (*1). After legal wrangling, the rights returned to the authors and the play was produced in 1913. The first cinematic movie emerged in 1914 as an adventure-horror and is sadly considered a lost film and then it 1922 it was made again as a comedy-horror which later become an enhanced in this version of 1940. Although, that merely is one half of The Ghost Breakers, the other side is even more interesting, in 1927 The Cat and the Canary was a hit Broadway stage play by John Willard later adapted at least four times into feature films, in 1927, 1930, 1939, and again in 1979. The most significant was both the 1930 and 1939, the first is again a lost movie called The Cat Creeps that had sound and dialogue predating Universal’s Dracula [1931] and then later Universal sold the rights to Paramount Pictures and they made The Cat and Canary and seven months made similar story but with the same two lead actors Bob Hope and Paulette Goddard which was directed by comedy specialist George Marshall who remade this production as Scared Stiff [1953]. These movies later set the groundwork for horror comedies which served as influence for Hold That Ghost [1941] and Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein [1948] which heroes come in all forms from cowardly lions to brash when dealing with the frights real or imaginary.
Paulette Goddard and Pedro de Cordoba
The film opens with the standard cliché, a dark and stormy night with lightning flashing across New York City, a hotel room of Mary Carter (Paulette Goddard (The Cat and the Canary [1939])) and the Cuban consulate Mr. Havez (Pedro De Cordoba (The Devil Doll [1936])) there to witness the transfer of paperwork for an inherited Black Island (off the coast of Cuba) and associated plantation; though he’s not in agreement should take in. She was packing for her trip as the storm caused a blackout and she requested candles to be sent up so she continued her task at hand. Meanwhile across the city, Larry Lawrence (Bob Hope (Scared Stiff [1953])) is cracking very racial jokes at Alex’s (Willie Best (The Smiling Ghost [1941])) expense, he’s gossip radio newscaster who gives gangsters tales however he tells insider info from Raspy Kelly (Tom Gugan (Doctor X [1932])) about the crime mega-boss Frenchy Duval (Paul Fix (Night of the Lepus [1972])), much to his displeasure. During the broadcast, Mary is by visited by solicitor by Mr. Parada (Paul Lukas (Secret of the Blue Room [1933]) offering $50,000 for her estate (over $1.1-million in today’s market). Afterwards, Duval requests Lawrence to stop by his hotel room, on the same floor as Ms. Carter, coincidentally, to clear-up some details, and it seems it could become his final sign-off.
Bob Hope and Paulette Goddard
Larry is a nervous wreck, for his meeting with Frenchy, and takes Alex’s gun for protection however after a wrongful assumption Larry forces his way into Carter’s room as he believes he murdered another gangster. The police swarm the floor and begin a room-to-room search while thoroughly ignoring Alex’s presence either luck or more indirectly, ignorance to his race. Mary is unaware Larry is hiding in her truck which is taken to the dock for her cruise to Cuba. A funny skit of Larry trying to regain height while learning he’s innocent of murder, some quick CSI work, he, and Mary begin a cutesy flirt one the passage to the island. Mary meets Geoff Montgomery (Richard Carlson (Creature from the Black Lagoon [1954]), a friend and intellectual who knows quite a bit about Voodoo, Zombies and Caribbean superstitions. In Havana, Larry, and Alex travel to her estate first along the route they briefly encounter witchy old lady and her zombie son (Noble Johnson). A series of chase and Mary’s arrivals, spooky shrieks and one dead Mr. Parada revealed a secret passage for Larry and Mary to follow. The film’s murderer is revealed in a clumsy maneuver which causes his downfall, but one last fright does remain.
Willie Best and Bob Hope
One of the general criticisms of the film is the dreadful negative racial stereotype of Willie Best’s character Alex, a manservant who is a scaredy-cat of creaks and ghostly presence. He is the punchline of many deeply offensive puns based from racist so-called jokes, frankly, viewed in today’s light are extremely and blatantly insensitive. In an early scene in the film, he is often ignored by any authority figure as knowing nothing and by the conclusion he is an unsung hero for saving the primary characters; typical cinematic harmful trope of the era that continued for many decades and a reflection in some portions of society. Noble Johnson (King Kong [1933]) who portrayed the zombie with vacant eyes a mindless slave required commands and someone else to do all his thinking is done for him. In addition, another layer of insult comes from the zombie’s mother portrayed by Virginia Brissac (The Mummy’s Tomb [1942]) in an obvious and infamous blackface which clearly is a racial byproduct of that era.
The screenplay does do some justice to Mary’s character, clearly presenting not as the typical damsel in distress on the bygone era, rather she is fascinated by spooky situations, finds superstitions foolish and thoroughly rational thinking, which a great counter to Larry cowardly actions. It also establishes a solid manner to provide to the necessary exposition to the audience in the first act, to allow for easier transition in second acts, which one would notice with Abbott and Costell Meet Frankenstein, thereby the third act a rational is more organic. The script weaves a good story with a collection of minor roles such as Anthony Quinn in an early role in his career. Building from the tropes and cliches from The Old Dark House [1932] these often became mainstays in the haunted places of the horror genres, swooping bats, hooting owls, cobwebs galore, echoes, lengthy dark hallways, flickering candles (lights), creaking doors, disembodied voices, secret passages, and stormy weather. Any fan of the genre can identify these traits in our favorite spooky setting the original is still the most memorable. The movie had the innovation of the “talk box” known as Sonovox, invented by Gilbert Wright that blended both music about throat contacts rather than voice to generated non-human voices for film.
Filmmakers of today could learn lessons from these relics of Hollywood’s comedy golden years, veterans of then understood the long comedy routine rather than zingers, but how to build from each other to sustain that duration. Today it is splicing, editing, and cutting often feeling stilted or forced the comedic timing limited great writing. The studio learned the formula quickly and repeated it often with much success, the fine line for laughter over fright better than sighs and groans. Although, the positives cannot outweigh the negatives, the insensitivity of then versus the modern audiences, acknowledging the historical context is important, it was then the standard production, as it also had the infamous Hays Code implemented while justified other stereotypes. It is very true Willie Best was as talented as his co-actors, but suffered due the racism of then, though listen careful for a line or two which slide by the censors.
TAGLINES:
- Funny Enough To Make Even A GHOST Laugh! (Print Ad- Poughkeepsie Eagle-News, ((Poughkeepsie, NY)) 3 July 1940)
- The Cat and the Canary Saw This and the Canary Swallowed the Cat!
- The two stars of “The Cat and the Canary” find love and laughter in a haunted house!
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0032520/
IMDb Rating: 7.0/10
Baron’s Rating: 7.0/10
Version of:
The Ghost Breaker (1914)
The Ghost Breaker (1922)
Scared Stiff (1953)
(*1) – Mr. Harris biz his associate, Charles Klein had eerie thoughts of the Titanic beg him not to sail upon it in 1912, but in 1915 drowned during the sinking of the RMS Lusitania (sister ship to Titanic).